A Desolate Wasteland
by FreeWrite
Summary: Earth was nothing but a desolate wasteland, or four times a member of SG1 survived the end of the world and one time they didn't.


**Title:** A Desolate wasteland....

**Author:** Freewrite

**Disclaimer:** Stargate SG1, it's prequel's characters and spinoffs belong to people who are not me. This venture is for pleasure and no money is made out of it.

**Summary:** Earth was nothing but a desolate wasteland, or four times a member of SG1 survived the end of the world and one time they didn't.

**Spoilers:** Everything from season 1 up to the end of Season 10. Nothing for the movies.

**Warning's:** Character Death multiplied.

**Note:** This is being posted unbetaed, It was written for Gen Fic day over at sg_fignewton's LJ in October 2008, I've only just remembered to post it here.

**1. Apophis**

Daniel Jackson had warned them. He had told everyone who would and wouldn't listen that Apophis was on the way, but they didn't listen. No one listened and they paid the price with the blood of their entire planet.

Daniel Jackson had breathed his last moment, not boasting that he was right, nor did he cower behind another. He took up arms and fought with the men and women of Stargate Command, he gave his life so that Dr Faiser and Cassandra could make it through to the Alpha site.

It was a fitting end for a man such as he, a man who was willing to give his life for both the many and the few. A man who simply wanted to find his wife and yet at the same time would try to make the universe a better place for those who lived in it.

After they lost control of the Gate a mutual decision was made to try and get to the surface. Utilizing the access shafts 12 of the SGC staff who hadn't made it through the Gate congregated in the surrounding forestland.

O'Neill died on his own terms, as Teal'c always knew he would. He died as any warrior should, protecting others and as the man himself would put it 'Sticking it to the Man' although Teal'c would then point out that Apophis is a Goa'uld not a man. The explosion that O'Neill and Sergeant Siler set up was spectacular and managed to destroy the mothership that had landed on top of Cheyenne Mountain, it had also killed the two men in the process.

Skirmishes with Jaffa that Teal'c himself had trained and lead reduced their forces to a mere three people, Major Ferretti, Captain Carter and himself.

Things did not look hopeful.

It got even worse when they lost Captain Carter, they were evacuating a small group of survivors taking them up to the base camp that they had set up deep in the Rocky Mountains when they were spotted by a Jaffa patrol. She had looked at him with an apology and a thank you in her eyes before turning and running to where the patrol was headed distracting them and thus securing their escape. Unfortunately it wasn't enough to secure their survival for long. Within the week their camp had been discovered and all were dead leaving Teal'c to hunt down Apophis' Jaffa on his own.

It was a task he both despised and relished.

Then one day there were no Jaffa to be found. He watched as the second Mothership rose and went back into orbit.

He made his way back into Colorado Springs, buildings had been turned into rubble, bodies were strewn everywhere the stench of rotting flesh permeated everything he say and not a living being was in sight.

Cheyenne Mountain and the Chappa'i were both gone, along with all of his team and the SGC. From what he could gather he was the lone survivor and with no way to leave the planet it would not be long before there were no survivors. He was surrounded by nothing but a desolate wasteland.

Master Bra'tac would be proud, while not exactly a fitting end for the former First Prime of Apophis turned shol'va...

At least he died free.

**2. Anubis**

He turned his head, looking from left to right and back again, taking in everything around him despite the fact that there was nothing to take in, the earth was nothing but a desolate wasteland. He had failed them, after trying to stop Anubis the Other's had punished him, bound him to the one place, forcing him to watch as his people were systematically destroyed by Anubis.

He couldn't warn them or help them, no matter what he tried or what he did, no matter how much he yelled and screamed. He was forced to watch as Cheyenne Mountain and the major cities were destroyed first. Washington DC, London, Pairs, Moscow, Beijing, Mumbai, Sydney, Oslo, Los Angeles, Kuala Lumpar, Tehran, Johannesburg, Cairo, Paris, Barcelona, Tokyo and countless other cities all gone in the space of a few hours. He watched as the survivors tried to work out what had happened, if they were going to be next. He watched as Jaffa and Super Soldiers landed and searched out the pockets of survivors killing them up close and personal.

Jack and Teal'c hadn't survived the initial attack, they had been at the SGC getting as many through to the Alpha site as possible when it had been hit. He mourned their loss, they were great men who's courage and accomplishments would be remembered by very few and in the end there was no-one left to remember them.

Unluckily for her, Sam had been in San Diego during the first rain of destruction from space. She proved just how much of a soldier she truly was, she had quickly organised as many survivors as she could into a resistance of sorts. They spent the next three months in a gruesome guerrilla war with Anubis' army with two unspoken and yet universally understood rules.

Rule one was never get taken alive, none of them ever did.

Rule two was if you get cornered, take as many of them with you as possible, hundreds of Jaffa died.

Daniel had never seen such a brave and stupid act from his friend and teammate as when a group of Jaffa had managed to trap her, she ran straight towards them with nothing but a hand gun and a grenade. She just pulled the pin and got in close enough for it to act as a dead man's switch. The Jaffa all died, but there was enough left of her for a Sarcophagus to do it's job, four weeks later it had stripped away everything that made Sam who she was; her body may still be alive out there in the Universe somewhere but it was merely a husk.

He watched as one by one the survivors we hunted down.

He watched as the last human being on earth was executed and the Genocide of the Tauri was complete.

He watched as Anubis scorched the earth and boiled the seas.

He watched as the Tok'ra and the Asgard arrived to late to do anything but mourn.

He watched as Earth turned into a desolate wasteland

Time passed and he was the only one to remember them, time passed as his punishment for interfering continued.

Time passed and the surface of his home planet was covered in ice, then the ice began to melt and life began again.

He still remembered Jack and Teal'c's frantic rush to get as many through the gate as possible, he still remembered Sam's intense grief as she realised all that she loved was gone and it was overtaken with the unshakable resolve to take as many of them as possible down.

He remembered because that was his punishment, because he interfered.

**3. A complete Mystery**

Elizabeth Weir drummed her fingers against the console. Earth hadn't responded to their weekly dial-up, they had been trying every four hours for the past three days and then finally on their last attempt the final chevron hadn't even locked.

They tried the Alpha site, but the same thing happened.

They tried every friendly planet that they could think of, from Chulak to Dakara. No one had seen of heard from the SGC since just after their previous dial-up.

Colonel Caldwell, took the Daedalus back to the Milky Way.

When he returned a month later, they all expected the worst.

The worst had come to pass. Earth was empty of life, nothing more than a desolate wasteland.

Everyone was gone.

The Alpha site was destroyed and none of their Allies knew where any of the Taur'i where, if any of them had in fact survived.

Atlantis was all that was left.

She sat on the balcony outside her office with John, Rodney and Carson. Teyla and Ronan had made themselves scarce knowing that the expedition needed to come to terms with the destruction of their home on their own terms.

The wind blew ruffling her hair, the sound of waves crashing against the great city keeping them company, the clink of Radek's best moonshine being poured into their glasses a cold comfort.

It was over, they were the last of the Taur'i.

**4. The Ori**

The one thing that pissed Jack O'Neill off more than anything else was his planet being invaded. First it was Apophis, then the Replicators then Anubis had a go and now those damn upstart Ori thought that they could just waltz in here and destroy his planet.

Well they were wrong.

Except maybe they weren't. His team was gone, the 6 of them had been eating lunch in this nice little outdoor cafe just near the Pentagon when the ships had attacked and Soldiers landed. There had been no warning and there was no time for a counter attack, Antarctica was the first place to be hit.

He wasn't exactly sure how it happened but it seemed as though the Ori Soldiers came after them first. They ignored the countless civilians running around screaming like demented Lemmings instead they all turned towards SG1 and opened fire.

Sam had been sitting with her back to them and had died with a smile on her face without even knowing what it was that killed her maybe she never even knew that she had in fact died. Jack could still feel the warm blood that spattered on his face but he was also grateful that she would never see what the Earth she'd fought so hard for had been reduced to.

One by one the others fell to the sheer number of Ori soldiers. Mere hours after they lost Sam, Cam saved Vala's life by jumping the Prior who had managed to get the drop on her. His body fell lifelessly to the ground, eyes wide with fear and resolve, his neck shattered.

He's not sure exactly what happened to Daniel, one moment he was behind them the next the ground shook with weapons fire and he wasn't there anymore, Jack just hopes that his death was quick and painless.

It was one of the worst moments of Jack's life when he realised that they had lost. That it was just the three of them and a smattering of scared civilians left in the greater DC area. They hadn't been able to make contact with the Mountain or the Pentagon in days. They just assumed they had both fallen.

He didn't remember exactly what happened next. He remembered bright light and searing heat, then finally blissful darkness.

He didn't know how much time passed before he woke up but when he did finally regain consciousness they were both dead.

Jack sat in between the dead bodies of his friends and he cried.

He cried for their quirks and their loves. For Cam's earnestness, Teal'c's loyalty, Vala's openness, Daniel's belief in the universe at large and Sam's endless love for them all. He cried for their flaws, for their hopes and their dreams. He cried for himself.

Without them the world was a poorer place.

He finally managed to pull himself out of the stupor and back into daylight only to find there was nothing there....

The world was empty and everything was gone.

He stood alone in a desolate wasteland.

**5. Manus ex Deus (The Hand of God)**

There was nothing left, she hadn't seen a living being for days, trees, birds, insects, _humans_. They were all dead, why she survived she didn't know. She didn't even know what had happened.

Adria had ascended and the Asgard were dead, other than the occasional skirmish with the Ori soldiers still in this Galaxy life at the SGC had been quiet and she had just received her orders to Pegasus. Knowing it could be months before she returned to Earth she had made a quick weekend trip to her brothers.

Early Sunday morning she had woken up before everyone else, she dressed quietly and grabbed Mark's house key before leaving for an early morning run. The longer she was out there in the early morning the more odd the world around her seemed. Things were normally quiet, but this was eerie. The occasional car did not drive past, there were no birds singing to keep her company, no sounds of a home waking. At the time she felt as though the Earth was holding it's breath for something.

The she saw him, she still doesn't know who he is but it's his face that is forever burned in her mind. He's lying there on the sidewalk as though he'd decided to simply lie down and take a nap, but the pallor of his skin and the lack of any movement whatsoever tell her otherwise. She crouches down next to him and lets her hand rest on his chest for a moment, there is nothing. Her hand moves up to his neck and fingers rest on the carotid artery the thudding she was begging to feel is not there.

Looking around wildly she notices that the trees are turning an un-natural brown, and she realises that the Earth isn't holding it's breath.

The Earth is dead.

The Earth is dead and yet she's still here, living, breathing, running.... running.... running back the way she came, running as fast as she can towards her brothers house, running knowing that it's pointless, knowing that there is nothing she can do, knowing that she'll find her brother, his wife and children dead in their beds, the same as everyone else.

Sweat is dripping off her face, down her chest and back. She doesn't notice nor does she care. She wants to be wrong, she want's to wake up from this nightmare. She wants to be anywhere but running down a dead road on a dead earth.

Once she arrived at her brothers house it takes her a few tries to get the key in the lock she doesn't try to be quiet, her first stop is the master bedroom and her fears are confirmed. Mark and his wife are lying there in bed at first glance there is nothing wrong, but after a few moments of listening intently she realises that the only sound is her own heavy breathing.

It thunders in her ears mocking her.

She lurches away from their door and to the childrens bedrooms only to find the same thing. Stillness and death permeating a world she is the only living breathing being. She barely acknowledges the desolate wasteland surrounding her.

Self awareness becomes a curse.

She pulls her cell phone out of her pocket and starts dialing numbers, The Mountain, General O'Neill, General Landry, General Hammond, Daniel, Teal'c, Cam, Vala, Cassie, Siler, Walter, Carolyn, Bill, Griff, Reynolds, Feretti but no-one answers. The ringing in her ear mocks her, tells her that she is all that is left in the world.

She takes her brothers car, he won't need it, won't miss it, he's dead. She heads east, all she knows is she needs to get back to the mountain, maybe once there she can do something.

3 hours later she pulls into a gas station, a quick check shows the attendant dead at the register. She fills up the car, takes a bottle of water from the fridge and continues on towards Colorado.

There are no cars on the road, planes in the air or people on the streets, the trees are all dead now and she knows eventually the atmosphere will become unbreathable and the planet inhabitable. There's no movement, the air is stagnant, the circle of life has been broken.

She doesn't know if she want's to be here for that or not. She knows there are planets she can go to here in the Milky Way that would welcome her, and she was supposed to be leaving for Atlantis in three days anyway so going there is always an option. It's another few hours before she realises that those strange noises she's hearing is her stomach.

She pulls out at the next gas station she sees, tops up the car and wanders inside to help herself to whatever she wants. She doesn't bother to check the attendant, she's tired of seeing the dead bodies everywhere. As she walks back out to the car she sees Vala leaning up against the passanger door, black hair pulled into pigtails, snapping gum, looking as though nothing is wrong.

"Well it's about time you started to look after yourself"

Deep down she knows she imagining Vala, or hallucinating, or something, but she doesn't care anymore.

She's just grateful for the company.

The deafening silence that has been threatening to overwhelm her is gone, it's now filled with the pointless and slightly inane chatter of one of her many dead friends.

She wonders if the others are going to join her on this impromptu road trip.

Most of what Vala say's is paid little heed, she's too busy trying to work out what has happened, who or what would be able to end all life so completely and suddenly and yet leave her untouched.

What's so special about her, how has she managed to survive such absolute destruction. It couldn't be the Naquadah in her blood, if it was Teal'c, Vala and Cassie should have all survived as well.

What did it mean? Was it a fluke that she survived or was it engineered? Was this a punishment for something or had she finally gone completely crazy was she locked up somewhere. Was it real or was this a fabricated reality that someone was using to study her, the Replicators were gone and she didn't know of any other race who could so perfectly fabricate Earth.

The thoughts running through her head sickened her.

She stopped the car and fell out the door, the contents of her stomach emptying out on the deserted highway, she stayed there for a few minutes breath hitching as what felt like her entire body spasmed to eject the meager contents of her stomach, eventually she listed to the side and managed to pass out without landing in her own vomit.

It was dark when her eyes started to flutter open, she could hear voices in the background. It sounded like someone else had finally decided to join Vala, the depth and twang identifying that person as Cam.

Painfully familiar grey walls flashed before her eyes.

Prometheus.

She'd been there from beginning, she'd known every hall, conduit, storage closet and control. The Prometheus had both saved her and nearly killed her, and finally she'd been there at the end as Earths first battle ship was destroyed by the Ori.

She wondered if there was a little girl with long hair and big brown eyes running around. Was she singing about stars and blowing bubbles?

She listened as Cam regaled a story about his Grandma - she thinks she's heard that story before.

The world is a little bit fuzzy around the edges but she manages to push herself up into a sitting position, she waits for everything to right itself before pulling herself back into the car. Vala is still sitting in the front, Cam is leaning forward hand waving as he emphasised an important point in the story.

"Evening sleepy head, have a nice nap?" his blue eyes twinkle but there is deep concern lurking there in the depths.

She grunts non-commitally.

"She thinks we're hallucinations and that we're all dead." Vala informs him.

"Huh," Cam is silent for a moment "If I'm dead what am I doing here then?"

She decides to ignore them for now. She doesn't care that they aren't real, at least she's not alone anymore.

The sun is just starting to rise when she pulls up at her house in Colorado Springs.

She unlocks the door and walks slowly inside, everything is just as she remembered it, just as she left it three days before. Walking over to the phone she saw the message light blinking, pressing the play button down she let tears roll down her face as Daniel's voice filled the stagnant air.

"Hey Sam, oh I just remembered you're at your brothers for the weekend. Never mind I'll talk to you Tuesday."

There were no other messages.

She left the house, didn't bother locking the door behind her, and started to walk down the street.

She got two blocks away before she started running. She ran until an apartment building loomed before her, it was painfully familiar. Daniel had lived here and there sitting on the steps was a little girl, brown hair with fat messy curls spilling down her back looked up at the sound of her pounding feet.

She stopped, the girl smiled, she fell to her knees, the girl jumped up and ran over to her as she lost the ability to remain upright. The girl kneeled down next to her ran a gentle hand over the sweat soaked blond hair, leaned down and whispered in her ear.

"We are very brave"

Blue eyes stared past Cassie, unfocused and uncaring, until another voice broke through.

"Sam? Come on Major let's get you up."

Now she knew they were hallucinations, she was a Colonel and Janet had been dead for over three years.

Janet was kneeling next to Cassie, the two of them staring down at her the sun haloing them, giving an ethereal quality to the entire scene. If she didn't know better she would've sworn that they were blood Mother and Daughter, the looks of love trust and concern identical.

No - these thoughts wouldn't get her anywhere.

Once again she pushed herself up onto shaking arms, then onto sore knee's. She knew she was pushing herself, that she needed real rest in a bed along with a proper meal, but she also knew that she couldn't stop now. She had to find out the truth, she had to know for sure.

Standing on none too steady legs and she lurched away from the apartment building. Deep down she knew what she would find up there.

Nothing, or a dead body. She didn't know which would be worse.

The further she walked the steadier her legs became.

Cars lined the streets, eventually she came to a van that was open. She slid into the drivers seat and worked on hot wiring the car. When she looked up from the console Janet was sitting in the passenger seat and Cassie was sandwiched between Cam and Vala in the back.

If this was real she'd be very worried about the influence they'd have on the young girl, but it wasn't real so she wasn't worried.

In the early light of the morning she could almost pretend that everything was normal.

She drove out of Colorado Springs proper, heading towards Cheyenne Mountain if there were any answers they would be at the mountain.

She stopped at the first gate, got out of the car and opened the gate manually. When she got back in the car the people in car had re-arranged themselves and gown by one.

Teal'c sat in the from passengers seat, he regarded her silently and was the extra strength that was needed to do what had to be done, just as he always had been. Janet had moved to sit with Cassie in the middle and Cam and Vala were squished in the very back playing a rather violent game of rock, paper, scissors.

When she walked into the mountain she wasn't surprised to see Daniel waiting for her at the elevator. Nothing surprised her anymore, in fact she knew that the General would be waiting for her somewhere down below.

She wasn't disappointed, the doors opened and she headed straight for the control room and there he was sitting in a chair spinning around looking incredibly bored.

"About time you showed up Carter."

She didn't bother responding, they weren't real which made speaking to them pointless, instead she sat down at Walter's workstation and started to type. She closed down all power to the level's above her and sealed off the mountain.

Nothing would get in and nothing would get out. Including herself.

This was where she belonged, the SGC was her life and she wouldn't be leaving here alive.

She sent out a repeating signal to Atlantis, the Alpha site and the Free Jaffa.

"Quarantine procedures enacted, do not approach. Iris closed..." her voice caught on her final words "the Taur'i have fallen, no survivors."

She sat there and listened to her own voice heralding their doom, over and over again for all eternity.

She gave up.


End file.
